Strange behaviour - leo thinks he's a landscape architect!

[stephski86]

Hi, I'm quite new to reptiles and have only had my male leopard gecko for 2 months. He's captive bred but we weren't told how old he is (estimating between 1 and 2 years due to size and frequency of shedding). He's definitely male, but he's been digging/piling a lot. The substrate we use is called sani-chips and it's recommended for leopard geckos. It's heat treated fine wood chips. He seems to like it, but he pushes it around either into mounds or what I would describe as 'ramparts' around the entrance to his hot hide. He also sometimes digs. His hot hide is a long piece of bark leaning up against the back of the viv, and is his favourite hide, but a few weeks ago we thought the substrate was looking a bit thin and wondered where it had all gone. We lifted his hide and somehow he'd built up the substrate along the length of his hide so it was 3/4 inches deeper in there than anywhere else! We don't even know HOW he's doing this, let alone why! Any suggestions? He seems healthy and happy, is quite active, tame, eats well etc etc

 

[kaws]

He's probably digging because the heat isn't right under the hide. Who "recommended" sani-chips ? If you did ANY kind of research before getting the leo, you wouldn't have read ANYWHERE that "sani wood chips" are good. If I were you, i'd switch over to slate or tile.

 

[stephski86]

Well actually, upon reading several books, forums etc these chips WERE recommended, and tile was not mentioned anywhere. The temperature of the floor has been checked and is fine, and he does it on the cool side as well as the hot side. Really, you don't need to be so rude...

 

[LeopardShade]

No loose substrates should be recommended for leopard geckos. Ever. At least not by knowledgeable caretakers of these reptiles. Any loose substrates, when accidentally ingested, can build up in the gastrointestinal tract of the gecko and elicit a deadly condition known as impaction - where the bowels become obstructed from all the non-digestible substrate. The gecko won't eat, defecate, and will essentially waste away until death ensues. While the risk of impaction certainly varies with the type of substrate used, the risk is still there and IMO, why risk the health, longevity, and quality of life of your gecko?

 

[katie_]

I don't think 'rude' was the intention.
It is a very serious subject, and requires a serious answer. Chips are a HUGE risk.

 

[Mostly Broken]

Yeah I don't think he meant to be rude but could easily be taken that way. it is a serious issue and I would switch it out. wood chips in the gut of your lizard would be very unpleasant for him. It is kind of cool that he has been digging and altering his environment to suit his likes. In reality he probably likes the wood chips but the issue of impaction is too risky.

 

[justindh1]

It sounds more like your gecko is just rearranging the substrate for his liking. He may be trying to minimize the light that is penetrating into his cave hide. Do you have a bright light on or near him or is he by a window? Either way it doesn't seem to be a major issue.

As far as the substrate, make up your own mind on what you want to use on your gecko. If the wood chips are not small enough to get digested then I don't see what the problem is, as long as it isn't pine or cedar. Loose substrate has chances of getting ingested and possibly impacted in the bowls. Just know there is a risk with a substrate consisting of smaller particles.

 

[Cesar_Da_KIng]

You might want to get a different hide like a fliped over bowl with a small door because he might not have enogh privcy with a piece of wood leaned up against the tank, and the wood could fall on him wich could be bad

 

[nater]

How about you tell us why he's doing it. You seem to know better than everyone here already anyways.

And yes, that was meant to be rude.